Daily Freeman Life Editor Ivan Lajara talks about journalism, living in the Hudson Valley, language, the Web, cats and even politics. But he shouldn't.

Saturday, August 28, 2010

1860s baseball in Kingston

The Kingston Guard battled the West Field Wheelmen at the Herzog baseball field in Kingston today, using 1980s baseball rules (no gloves, funky outfits) in a fundraiser for the American Cancer Society. The Wheelers won both games.

It was a good affair, and the Catskill Mountain Railroad was present as well.

Live Stream: Angels in the Outfield of Kingston

The Angels in the Outfield, featuring the Kingston Guard and the West Field Wheelmen, are playing their second game today at 3 p.m. at the Herzog field in Kingston, in a fundraiser for the American Cancer Society.

Super BRAWL raises more than $3,000

Members of the Broads Regional Arm Wrestling League met at the Bearsville Theater in Woodstock on Aug. 27 in a benefit for the Cabrini Home for Girls Recreation Fund and Domestic Violence Services of Family of Woodstock. The event netted more than $3,000, organizers said.

How to get a newsroom to cover stories live

With apologies to the Bard, that is the question.

And a problem, a big one at that.

Members of the Journal Register Company’s IdeaLab, including yours truly, met at the company’s Yardley, Pa., offices on Wednesday to brainstorm the future of our industry. JRC advisory members Betsy Morgan and Jay Rosen were present and shared their insight into what the challenges mean.

In the coming days, I’ll be sharing the tools I’ve been given (an iPad, a netbook and a Droid) with my newsroom and we’ll be covering events as they unravel. I'll be keeping you updated on what worked and what didn’t. My plan is to have our reporters using Tumblr,Twitter,Facebook – without a middle man (that would be us, the meany editors) – to post stories, photos and ask for input as the stories develop.

Hippie station Fox News covers Woodstock Time Bank

Gnome Chomsky, Homegrown Mini-Golf and Kelder's Farm, gigantic, 13-foot, 6-inch-tall garden gnome, has lost the Guinness World Record it has held since 2006 as largest garden gnome, the farm announced today.

A group at the University of Iowa Reiman Gardens took up the challenge and unveiled a 15' cement gnome last April. But the group was informed by Guinness that the record for largest garden gnome had already been broken by a Polish group called MALPOL.

MALPOL created a 17-foot, 8-inch-tall gnome made fiberglass in 2009 and had been granted the world record by Guinness.

The farm quotes uber musician and local resident Graham Parker as saying, "I thought I saw a tear in Chomsky's eye when I passed by the other day. Cheer up fella, those others are just pretenders."

Town of Rochester Supervisor Carl Chipman said in the release, "We held the record for a good four years. Our gnome is still very precious to us."

"I am outraged that a gnome made of a synthetic material such as fiberglass would be accepted by the folks at Guinness," said Deborah Artman, librettist and writer, in the release. "If any organization should be a stickler for authenticity, Guinness is it! It's time for a petition! I'm ready to sign!"

The farm adds:

"We have written to the Guinness Company to ask them about their perplexing decision to allow a fiberglass gnome to qualify. But even were they to disqualify the Polish contender, we're still topped by the cement gnome in Iowa. What to do?

Chomsky Grows Up

"Our friends had ideas--ideas to make Chomsky the biggest once again. The ideas were so great we couldn't resist trying them out to see how they'd look. (We love Photoshop!) We've mocked-up the first to come in:

Jimmy Fallon's "Get Two Bears and Jump"

I hear voices in Phoenicia

Maxanne Resnick of the Phoenicia Festival of the Voice says,

"We had a fantastic festival. Several thousand people attended throughout the weekend. We had fabulous performances, the two operatic performances under gorgeous night skies, and lots of enthusiasm for our first annual 'The Phoenicia Festival of the Voice.'"

Here are internationally acclaimed baritone Louis Otey and his mezzo-soprano wife, Maria Todaro, who live in Phoenicia, during a previous engagement, performing "The Barber of Seville" ("Barbiere di Siviglia"), which, it turns out, is not just a Bugs Bunny cartoon after all.

'Star Wars,' the missing scene

Depending of your perspective, the following clip is highly inconsequential or massively EPIC.Anyway, a hero with a camera taped this Saturday at the "Star Wars Celebration V" convention in Orange County, Fla. and posted it on YouTube.God bless his soon-to-be-sued soul.

No sense of fashion in Vogue

This Steven Meisel image from the August issue of Vogue Italia features Kristen McMenamy. The issue includes a photo spread shot by Meisel titled "Water & Oil," inspired by the BP oil spill, because when you think of fashion, you think of the worst oil spill in the history of mankind. (AP Photo/Vogue Italia, Steven Meisel)

Betty Macdonald has died

On behalf of the MacDonald family, Paul, and myself we want to thank you all for your stories, love, and prayers. Betty left us this morning at dawn. She passed on in peace and tranquility. To all the singers, we have appreciated your songs/music, but now the family needs privacy.Betty's wishes are to have no funeral. There will be a celebration of Betty's life in the future at a date to be announced

A jazz violinist, she also had hosted jazz radio programs on WDST and WAMC.

Her latest album, "And Here's To You," with Joe Beck, was reviewed by David Malachowski for the Freeman in April. Beck died before the album was released.

Cooking on a bridge

"Brunch on the Bridge," a three-episode cooking show series by www.greenpeastv.com that takes place over the Mid-Hudson Bridge, taped its latest on July 26.

It features chef Marcus Guiliano of Aroma Thyme Bistro in Ellenville, who created a vegetarian brunch with a little help from New York State Bridge Authority’s Executive Director Joseph Ruggiero. Kingston's own Stockade Tavern owner Paul Maloney was on hand to demonstrate old-time pre-Prohibtion era cocktail recipes using spirits from Tuthilltown Spirits of Gardiner.

The “Brunch on the Bridge” episode is scheduled to "air" on www.greenpeastv.com later this month.

Peace Peace Peace Pete Seeger Peace

Folk legend Pete Seeger will be awarded the Woodstock Council for World Peace Noble Peace Prize and the World Peace Prayer Society's Culture of Peace award, the Woodstock Council for World Peace announced just now.

The Woodstock International Walk for World Peace will take place in Woodstock on Sunday. The World Peace Prayer Society is contributing the flags of all nations for the walk, which culminates at the Comeau property on Comeau Drive.

Victorio Roland Mousaa and Princess WOW!, founder of the Smile Revoulution, will be performing at 11:00 a.m., and will introduce Seeger to the crowd. The council will be presenting Seeger with a "Noble Peace Prize," and The World Peace Prayer Society will also be presenting Seeger with their Culture of Peace award.

The event is free and open to all.

The Woodstock Chamber of Commerce and Arts is sponsoring the walk, which will be led by children carrying smaller flags.

“We are walking for peace, and are not protesting”, said the Rev. John Nelson, founder of Woodstock International Walk for World Peace.

The walkers are to meet on Sunday at 8 a.m., with participants meeting at the intersection of Routes 375 and 212. At 9:30 the walk will commence with the parade of flags through the town, past the village green and continuing along Route 212 to Comeau Drive, then on to Comeau Field, where the World Peace Prayer Ceremony will be held at 10:15 a.m., followed by guest artists and speakers, Seeger and other performances.

A “Paint Out”, will also once again take place; participation in the Paint Out is open to all, and brushes and acrylic paints will be provided. There will also be a Native American blessing ceremony.

After the conclusion of events at Comeau Field, Seeger will be appearing and performing at the Bearsville Theater at 1 p.m., including a book signing of "Where Have All The Flowers Gone".

Sundance Award-winning filmmaker Greg Reitman will be filming the event for inclusion in his upcoming film, "Rooted In Peace," a documentary on the ways people around the world are taking to create peace and a culture of sustainability.

Woodstock Film Festival unveils 2010 poster

The Woodstock Film Festival has unveiled its official poster, "flower mandala," designed by Hudson Valley-based artist Portia Munson, for the 2010 festival, which will take place Sept. 29 to Oct. 3.

"I am honored to have created this year's Woodstock Film Festival poster," said Munson in a prepared statement. "I created it using flowers from my Catskill garden. The Hudson Valley region has always had a long and vibrant connection with the arts and the film festival (and all the film production that comes with it) has manisfested this heritage."

It also is very trippy and I can't stop looking at it.As it is my custom, I blame Obamacare for that.

Gigi's sets the record straight

Dear Ivan,

One would expect, at least hope, that your community news coverage be accurate and well meaning. To that end, I insist, on behalf of Laura Pensiero of GiGi Hudson Valley, that your facts be corrected to reflect the truth.

When Laura was asked if Gigi was doing the rehearsal dinner, or catering the (Chelsea Clinton) wedding, her exact quote was: “Absolutely not.”

Her other comment "How did you find out" related to another question entirely. It seems that the news starved media cobbled these disparate comments into some “story” … not Laura. She upheld her discretion and honesty.

Kindly show us all that you do too,

Thank you,

Burnell ShivelyPR, Media & Marketing LiaisonGiGi Hudson Valley

What the New York Daily News wrote:

Chef Laura Pensiero, whose GiGi Trattoria opened nine years ago in Rhinebeck, is one of the caterers for the high-profile affair.

Her restaurant uses fresh ingredients from local farms, and specializes in homemade pastas, healthy Mediterranean fare and vegetarian dishes.

I'm also told by the real Freeman reporters who covered this story that Pensiero offered no comment to us. And it should be noted that none of the Freeman's stories stated that Gigi was catering the event.

And now the question that lingers is "What did the Daily News asked that promped the "How did you find out?" response?